THE HARBOUR BOARD AND MR. PITCAITHLY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10763, 17 September 1900, Page 2

THE HARBOUR BOARD AND MR. PITCAITHLY.

TO THE EDITOR OF T;<IB PRESS. Sir,—With your permission I would liks to place before your readers the facts in connection with. Lyttelton Harbour dredging, and to say that I was wore than Burprisd when the Chairman made the new and al« most alarming stateme;nt showing that tot years the records of ,-th« Board had been wrong, for they surel state that 3,211,200 yards of mud were dredged and deposited ia. Camp Bay. LytWlton Harbour mud is pretty solid, as a fact it has often been suggested that it wcjuld make a good cement, But allowing til© Chairman's stetemeat to be correct (how Jit is arrived at I don't know), there is a serious discrepancy in the want of mud in ICamp Bay. for if it-has shallowed on 66 acres "(the part where the dredgings were pdjt) to an average depth of 10ft, it only accounts for some 800,000 yards. ■ } I cast no reflection on any mdiviaiisl member, nor have I anything to piii bf, | being a member myself; but this I do, know from personal experience—that & §reat ivasfce of pwblio money goes on in iese and other Boards from want of know*. ledge, and hence wy firm conviction tM I thorough expert sh&uld hare control of our harbours vender Government; one like Mr | l "Eetguswcv, e-uguasftT ttjs& &«?&. to tb« VJ<V._ lington Harbour JZoartti, who has made Wellington far away the apest .shipping port is , "Sew TitdaM. N

I alone voted at the Harbour Board t&mt ing ; against the purcbti.se of the present dredge—l did not know v,-hat kind of dredge was wanted, but\l said we wattUii modern, rieht op-to-datb'new oce, au<! i* could have been arranged to Jiare it Imdei in the colony at a given price. This dredgs has cost well on £30,000,.and the membefl know they have not. got value* for their money. ; Sir" Kaye, one of the Cliamber of Cosmerce nominees, says then public are not competent to judge about Harbour Board matters, and evidently he does not wans them io. ...'..

So long as I am <mc of tke memlvers I wiß sp&nk my mind, and say vrhat I think is cor> rect, notwithstanding aH that has b?£S said. I never have that "fulness of heart described %y tke Gliaartnan, nor hare J yet had the pleasure of an after-dinner »: t«^iew.—Yours, etc., ( ROBERT PITCAITHLT.